Method and apparatus for weft projection



y 2, 1963 E. F. DEADY ETAL 3,095,910

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WEF'T PROJECTION Filed Nov. 8. 1960 4Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS EMMETT F. DEADY STANLEY F. REED DANIEL E.HOUGHTON ATTORNEY July 2, 1963 E. F. DEADY ETAL METHOD AND APPARATUS FORWEFT PROJECTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 8. 1960 Mll/E/VTORS EMMETT EDEADY STANLEY F. REED DANIEL E. HOUGHT July 2, 1963 E. F. DEADY ETALMETHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WEFTPROJECTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 8.1960 DANIEL E. HOUGHTON EMMETT F. DEADY STANLEY F. REED July 2, 1963 E.F. DEADY ETAL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WEFT PROJECTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 4Filed NOV. 8. 1960 VI 0 w A E M R F Y T m m m 15 6 Em; m M M M M T V E S55 6 9 2 w Qzmm Km; SE. in;

mszmm M EQMI hwmE mszmm mJoQmI 0200mm DANIEL E. HOUGTON ATTORNEY UnitedStates Patent 0 3,895,910 METHOE AND APrARATUd FQR WEIFT PRQEECTEQNEmmett F. Dandy, Arlin ton, Stanley 1F. Reed, McLean,

and Daniel E. Houghton, Arlington, Va, assignors, by

mesne assignments, to Cambridge Wire {110th Company, Cambridge, Md.

Filed Nov. 8, 1964), Ser. No. 68,022 16 Ci irns. ({Zl. 139-127) Theinvention relates to novel methods and apparatus to be utilized withshuttleless looms, and more particularly, relates to shuttleless loomswhich are specially designed for the production of wire cloth fabrics.

Apparatus of the class to which the present invention pertains,heretofore provided for the continuous feeding of warp wires throughheddles and for the interweaving of weft wires with the warp wires byfeeding the weft wires on bobbins and shuttles back and forth betweenalternate warp wires during the operation of the heddles to effect thewarp shed.

in such prior art machines the weft wires are positioned in the bite ofthe warp shed by means of a lay beam carrying a reed through which thewarp wires pass, that serves to push the weft wires, which are laidthereagainst, into proper position.

The weft wires in such a machine are introduced into the warp shed bymeans of a shuttle arrangement carried by the lay beam in closeproximity to the reed thereof. The weft wire supply is spooled on abobbin which is arranged to be transferred back and forth to theopposite ends of the lay beam each time the rhedd-les shift to changethe warp shed. Before the return of the bobbin, during the next cycle ofoperation, a retractable finger is disposed in the path of the wireadjacent the selva-ge of the fabric being formed which serves to retainthe wire at this point, and upon the return movement of the bobbin,permits the wire being paid therefrom to be laid in parallelism with thepreceding weft wire, and joined to the latter by a hair-pin curve at theselvage. This operation is carried on to lay the weft wire in endlessserpent-inc form back and forth between the warp wires until the weftwire supply on the bobbin is exhausted.

It then becomes necessary for a full bobbin to be substituted for theexhausted bobbin, and this, in turn, requires that the machine be shutdown and that the end of the new supply be spliced or welded to the endof the weft wire of the old supply. This operation, in addition tocausing an unsightly defect at the joint of the weft wires in thefabric, is particularly undesirable in View of the number of times ithas to be done during any substantial operating period of the machines.The frequency with which bobbins have to be replaced is directlyproportional to the size of the wires in the fabric being made; thelarger the fabric mesh, the heavier the component wires thereof, and acorresponding diminution of the linear length of the weft wire supplythat can be accommodated on an ordinary bobbin. Machines made of largerand heavier construction so as to admit of the use of larger bobbinsprove to be impractical because they are slow, cumbersome, and ex,ensive.

The limitations imposed upon the amount of weft wire that can besupplied by the bobbin and shuttle method of feed cannot be circumventeduntil the source of supply is disassociated from the moving parts of themachine, and is placed in stationary relation to the moving parts,whereby much larger supplies can be accommodated, and replenished fromtime to time, without requiring that the operation of the machine beinterrupted.

Such an arrangement for feeding weft wire would offer the sameconveniences in continuity of operation and perfection of finishedfabric as are derived from the method of feeding warp wires to suchlooms. Even more desirable does such an arrangement become in view ofthe fact that it would eliminate the bobbin and shuttle arrangement,which has been the seat of many structural elements and mechanicalmovements requiring constant maintenance.

Wire-weaving machines providing a stationary weft wire supply are knownto the prior art; however, no commercially feasible apparatus has yetbeen disclosed to adapt such apparatus to a high speed wire-weavingoperation.

It is therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a loom ofthe class described of greatly simplified construction, wherein weftwires are introduced into the warp shed from a stationary supply depot,separate and apart rom the moving elements of the loom; to introduceweft wires into association with warp wires in a loom mechanism withoutemploying bobbins and shuttles for this purpose; and to provide a loomhaving means for guiding, receiving, holding, and delivering weft wiresinto accurate association with warp wires to be permanently lockedtherewith to form a fabric.

It is a further object to provide a loom having means for feeding weftwires from an endless source of supply; means for cutting each length ofweft wire; means for treating the free end of each Weft wire prior tosevering that length from the source of supply; and means for projectingeach weft wire into proper relation to the warp wires, so that each wireis accurately positioned in the finished fabric.

It is a further object to provide a loom that is adapted to supply weftwires from an endless supply, by automatically forming the free end ofsuchsupply into a desired configuration, and projecting such free endinto the warp shed. One means of effecting this object that facilitatesthe projection of the weft wire through the shed of the warp wires isthe bending of a short length of the free end of each weft wire throughan angle of 180 degrees, thereby gaining the dual-fold advantage ofblunting the end to be projected and doubling the mass per unit lengthat the projected tip thereof.

It is a further object to provide a loom of greatly simplifiedconstruction adapted to high speed operation which will manufacturefabrics of this type efficiently, economically, and with greatuniformity of mesh, symmetry of design, and high fidelity ofreproduction.

It is a further object to provide novel apparatus and methods forprocessing wires into fabric to achieve the desired ends hereinbeforeand hereinafter set forth.

With the foregoing, and ancillary objects in view, we propose to effectone embodiment of our invention as follows:

The present invention is concerned primarily with a novel appantus andmethod for handling the weft wire during the transmission thereofbetween the stationary supply spool and the final position of such wirewithin the warp shed prior to the forward motion of the reed; and thecoaction of such novel apparatus and method steps with the conventionalportions of the apparatus and the conventional method steps in wirecloth fabrication. The features of improvement of the present inventionover prior art apparatus and methods will be readily apparent when thedrawings appended hereto are considered in the light of the followingspecification.

As in the case of prior art patents, warp wires are fed through suitableguides and tensioning devices to heddles, comprising the usual pair ofvertically reciprocable frames, each of which has means for engagingalternate warp wires respectively. The heddles are actuated to providethe warp shed so that the weft wire may be interwoven With the warpwires to form the completed fabric.

However, instead of the bobbin and shut-tie means or other weft wirepositioning means disclosed in prior art patents, the present inventioncontemplates the introduc-' tion of the weft wire to the warp wires froma stationary supply spool from which it is pulled by suitable means; thesame means also being effective to push the weft wire, in conjunctionwith suitable end treatment means and guides adjacent thereto, intoproper association with the warp wires within the shed of the latter.Thereafter the heddle frames are reversed and the fabric is passed on toa take-up or reel as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The refinements of construction and detail of operation characterizingthe present invention, though not touched upon in the foregoing generaloutline, will be clearly understood from the following description whenread in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic top plan view of a loom according tothe invention;

FIG. 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of .thereed, closure element, and weft guide thereof, taken along line 3-3 ofPEG. 1;

'FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the weft feedingdevice thereof;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of the deviceof FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the device ofFIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 7 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary sectional plan view of theshear and bend device thereof, taken along line 77 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of thedevice of FIG. 7, taken along the line 8-8 in FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a timing cycle chant therefor.

In the following description and in the claims, various details will beidentified by specific means for convenience, but they are intended tobe as generic in their application as the art will permit.

Like reference characters denote like parts in :the several figures ofthe drawings.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification,certain specific disclosure of the invention is made for purposes ofexplanation, but it will be understood that the details may be modifiedin various respects without departure from the broad aspect of theinvention.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1, 2, and3, a conventional type loom is shown to which the invention is applied.Conventional parts of the loomare shown somewhat diagrammatically and asimple form of loom is shown for purposes of clarity. It will beunderstood that the invention is directed mainly to the weft wirefeeding and end treatment apparatus, and to the manner in which thisapparatus is utilized in the operation of the loom.

The loom comprises, in general, a suitable supporting frameworkindicated by 1; warp beam 2, from which the warp wires 3 are fed in thedirection of the arrow 4 over warp roll 5; lea bar 6; harness 7comprising heddle frame assemblies 8 and 9 operating the warp shed 10;lay beam 11 carrying reed 12. and a closure element 13 therefor; breastbeam 14 over which the finished fabric 18 passes; and take-up roll 15supporting the finished fabric 18. Both reed 12 and closure element 13have comb-like configurations with the teeth thereof being open at thetop thereof and aligned in the vertical plane of the Warp shed. Adetailed disclosure of the reed and closure element structure shown aselements 12 and 13 of this application is set forth in a separateapplication by the inventors hereof and filed on an even date herewith,entitled: Shuttleless Looms, Serial Number 68,021.

Weft wire 16 is projected into the warp shed 10 by means of weft feedingdevice 17. The warp beam 2 is 4 suitably journaled in framework 1 andhas the warp wires 3 wound thereon as is well known. Any suitable meansmay be provided for driving or letting off the warp beam.

The warp threads are divided into two groups, A and B, passing over andunder lea bar 6 to form the warp shed it The shed it) is opened andclosed by the hmness 7 which comprises heddle frame assemblies 3 and 9.It will be understood that when one frame assembly 9 is up as shown inFIGURE 2, the other frame assembly 8 is down and that the positions ofthese frame assemblies are always opposite, as is well known in the art.A detailed disclosure of the loom harness shown diagrammatically aselement 7 in this application is contained in a separate application bythe inventors hereof and filed herewith, entitled: Loom Harness, SerialNumber 68,020.

Warp beam 2, take-up roll 15, heddle frame assemblies 8 and 9, and laybeam 11 are all connected to a source of power through suitable belts,gear trains, cams, and linkages in a conventional manner. For purposesof simplification these conventional loom elements are not shown in thedrawings, but may be similar to the analogous portions of US. Patent No.2,363,415.

Referring further to FIG. 3, lay beam 11 is shown in solid lines in theweft weaving position and in broken lines in the weft feeding position.It will be noted that a guide recess 72 in closure element 13 coactswith the working face 71 of reed 12 to provide a weft receivingpassageway 73 when the lay beam 11 is in the weft feeding position. Bothlay beam 11 and closure element 13 are pivoted on framework 1 and are solinked that closure element 13 rotates faster than lay beam 11 wheneverthey are moved toward the weft weaving position, thereby openingpassageway 7 3 and retracting closure element 13 completely out of thewarp shed 10. A detailed disclosure of the lay beam and closurestructure shown in FIG. 3 of this application is contained in a separateapplication by the inventors hereof and filed herewith, entitledShuttleless Looms, Serial Number 68,021. For the purposes of thisapplication, it is sufficient to note that a weft receiving passageway73 is formed within the warp shed during the proper time interval whenthe weft feeding device 17 is projecting a weft wire 16 thereinto.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 to 8, the weft feeding device 17 is shown indetail. The supply source for weft wire 16 is spool mounting assembly 19which is stationary with respect to supporting framework 1. A spool 20of weft wire 16 with enough wire to supply the loom for a substantialoperating period is mounted on a shaft 21 supported on framework 1within spool mounting assembly 1?. The axis of spool 215 is aligned withthe axis of conica-l container 22 so that weft wire 16 will uncoiltherefrom and pay out of spool 28 over the end thereof nearest weftfeeding device 17. In order to remove irregularities in wire 16 and toprovide uniform tension therein, wire straightener 23 is providedintermediate spool mounting assembly 19 and weft feeding device 17Depending upon the space available, a wire guide tube 24 (see FIG. 1)may be provided to confine and direct the wire around any curvesrequired. After leaving wire straightener 2 3, weft wire 16 is directedinto weft feeding device 17 through bore 25 in body 26 which ischamfered at 27 to facilitate the feeding of weft wire 16 thereinto.Body 26 is cut away from both top and bottom to provide recesses 23 forfeed idler wheel 29 and feed drive wheel 30 to r0- tate therewithin.Feed drive wheel 30 is mounted on a shaft in a bearing which is fixed toframework 1, while feed idler wheel 29 is mounted on a mounting arm 31arranged for pivotal motion with respect to framework 1. A suitable campivots mounting arm 31 intermittently to move feed idler wheel 29 intofrictional contact with weft wire 16 which runs between wheels 29 and 30during that portion of a weaving cycle in which the weft wire is to beprojected into warp shed 10. This feeding position is shown in brokenlines in FIG. 5. Feed drive wheel 30 is connected to a conventionalpower supply for continuous driven rotation, while feed idler wheel 29is free .to rotate on shaft 32 at all times. Weft wire 16 is both pulledfrom spool 29, and projected into passageway 73 by the frictionalcontact with feed drive wheel 36 caused by the downward pivotin of feedidler Wheel 29 thereagainst.

After passing between wheels 29 and 30, weft wire 16 is projected intoweft bend and shear means 36 wherein the free end of the weft wire istreated to provide a blunt end thereon prior to projection into warpshed 10. Bend and shear means 36 comprises a shaft 37 with a sprocket 35mounted at the upper end thereof, a rotary shear element 74 dependingtherefrom into bore 25, and a lower end portion 37 joumaled in body 26.Shaft 37 is vertically journaled in fixed mounting bracket 38 and rotarymotion is imparted thereto by sprocket 35 driven by chain 34 driven inturn by drive sprocket 33. Sprocket 33 is intermittently driven bysuitable cam and gear means to supply a 180 degree oscillatory motion toshaft 37. Fxedly mounted on shaft 37 is a face cam 77. Cam 77 operatesclamp operating lever 78 to depress spring biased clamp member 7 6during the portion of the weaving cycle when the shaft 37 is rotating,thereby locking weft Wire 16 against the end of a flat-ended hardenedscrew 79- set into the bottom of body 26. Clamp operating lever 78 ispivoted at 80' within the web portion of mounting bracket 38 and restsupon the top of clamp member 76. A channel 81 is provided in body 26 toaccommodate a thin filler plate 82 on one side of bore 25 and a springbiased thin bend finger 83 on the other side of bore 25. Bend finger 83is spring biased by a suitable spring 84 to rest against stationaryshear element 75 and is pivoted at 85. Filler plate 82 is retained inposition by two screws 86 and has a V-shaped groove 87 therealong. Shaft37 has only a one-quarter cross section in that area which correspondsto channel '81, thereby providing rotary shear element 74, and the edgeof that quarter section also has a V-shaped groove in alignment withgroove 87 when the shaft is in the bore-open position. The centeringfunction of these V-shaped grooves will be apparent when it isunderstood that one body 26 and bore diameter is intended to be utilizedwith a range of wire sizes smaller than the bore diameter. It will benoted that channel 81, plate 82, and the recess in shaft 37 whichprovides the one-quarter cross section rotary shear element 74 all havesubstantially the same width or thickness in order to facilitate therotary interaction therebetween. Filler plate 82 has a 90 recess toaccommodate the onequarter cross section configuration of the rotaryshear element 74. Stationary shear element 75 is retained and adjustedby screw 88.

Operation of bend and shear means 36 is as follows: the last Weftelement projected into warp shed '10 is aligned in bore 25; shaft 37starts to rotate; a bend starts to form at tip of bend finger 83; afterapproximately 30 degrees of rotation, weft wire 16 is severed as theouter edge of rotary shear element 74 engages the cutting edge ofstationary shear element 75; the bend continues around finger 83 untilthe 90 degree rotation point is reached; then during the second half ofthe 180 degree bend cycle, both the end of the wire and finger 83 aredisplaced until the V groove in the rotary shear element becomesparallel with the V groove in the filler plate; at which point the 180degree bend has been completed; thereafter shaft 37 returns to thebore-open position and remains therein for the period during which theweft wire with the bent end is projected into the passageway 73 withinwarp shed and the cycle is then repeated.

Referring further to FIGS. 4 to 7, one half of a guide means isresiliently mounted in line with bore 25. This guide element 89 is heldin place by a spring member 90, so that the shock of repeated engagementwith a similar guide element H, fixedly mounted on closure element 13pivoted to framework 1, will not unline the weft feeding device 17. Itwill be noted that guide elements 89 and 91 each have one half of aconical recess therein; that when the closure element 13 is in the weftfeeding position these halves coact to form a guide for the bent end ofweft wire 16; and that as the lay beam 11 rotates toward the weftweaving position, guide element 91 quickly releases weft wire .16 sothat it is not sheared by the motion of reed 12, but rather by thecoaction of shear elements 74 and 75.

Referring now to FIGURE 9, a timing cycle chart showing the timecorrelation of the operation of applicants novel loom structure whenutilized to weave ordinary quandrangular fabrics is illustrated. Curve Bshows the vertical displacement of the heddle frame assembly 8 closestto the fell 74) (see FIG. 3) of the cloth 18. Curve A shows the verticaldisplacement of the adjacent heddle frame assembly 9. It will be notedthat the heddle frame assembly 9 represented by curve A movessubstantially farther than the heddle frame assembly 8 represented bycurve B, but that their motions always start and stop at the same timeand are oppositely directed at all times. Curve C shows the radial orsubstantially horizontal displacement of lay beam 11 and reed 12integral therewith. It will be noted that the heddle frame assemblies 8and 9 reverse their positions while reed 12 is in the weft weaving orforward position thereby locking the last weft element in place. OurvesE and E show the relative displacement of the face of closure element 13from the working face 71 of reed 12. The width between E and Erepresents the depth of guide recess 72. Straight line D repersents astationary position for reed 12 so that the significant relativeposition of closure element 13 therefrom may be illustrated. It will benoted that the closure element 13 remains closed during the time thatlay beam 11 and reed 12 are in the weft feeding position, therebycoacting with the working face 71 of reed 1-2 to provide an encirclingweft receiving passageway 73 therebetween. Further, it will be notedthat closure element 13 retracts prior to the lay beam 11 and reed 12obtaining the weft weaving position thereby releasing the last weftelement so that the final position thereof may be immediaely adjacent tothe next-to-last weft element without any confining guide elementtherebetween during the final positioning thereof. Curve F shows thatthe weft element is projected into the weft receiving passageway onlywhen the lay beam 11 and reed 12 are in the weft feeding or rearwardposition and that the closure element 13 is always in the closedposition for a short interval both before and after this feeding motion.Curve G shows the relative rotary oscillations of rotary shear element74 which rotates approximately 30 degrees before engaging stationaryshear element 75 and then continues to rotate in a clockwise directionuntil the 180 degree bend is formed, and then returns to the weftpassage open position. It will be noted that this 360' degree bend andreturn motion of the rotary shear takes only 270 degrees of the weavingcycle, and that during the other degrees thereof, the weft passage isopen to allow the weft feed to function in timed relation thereto, seecurve F. Curve H shows the clamping action required to provide stabilityto the free end of the weft wire 16 during the bend and shear portion ofthe cycle. Some means must be provided to prevent weft wire 16 frommoving away from the warp shed during the bend portion of the weavingcycle. A convenient means for supplying this clamping action is clampmember 76 actuated by face cam 77. However, instead of this intermittentpositive clamping action, any of the well-known one-way restrainingdevices may be employed to permit weft wire 16 to move only towards thewarp shed at all times.

The invention has been described in connection with an exemplaryembodiment thereof, but it is to be understood that this embodiment isgiven by way of illustration and not limitation; changes andmodifications in the de tails of the apparatus can be made by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

We claim:

*1. In a wire fabric loom comprising, in combination: a supportingframework; means for feeding a bank of warp wires across said framework;heddle means for effecting a shed in said warp wires; a lay beamreciprocally supported on said framework, said lay beam operable betweenweft filling and weft weaving positions; a reed having a forward workingface supported on said lay beam in fixed relation thereto; asubstantially continuous weft wire supply source mounted on saidframework; and a weft feeding means having a weft bore therein fixedlymounted on said framework with said bore aligned with said working faceof said reed when said lay beam is in said weft filling position; saidfeeding means adapted to project the free end of said weft wire intosaid shed, the improvement comprising; a weft shear and bend meansaligned with said bore to first shear said projected weft wire from saidsupply and then bend a short length of the end of the remaining weftwire supply through a substantial angle prior to projection thereof intosaid shed.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein; said angle issubstantially 180 degrees.

3. In a fabric loom comprising, in combination: a supporting framework;means for feeding a bank of warp filaments across said framework; heddlemeans for effecting a shed in said warp filaments; a lay beamreciprocally supported on'said framework, said lay beam operable betweenweft filling and weft weaving positions; a reed having a forward workingface supported on said lay beam in fixed relation thereto; asubstantially continuous weft filament supply source mounted on saidframework; and a weft feeding means having a weft bore-therein fixedlymounted on said framework with said bore aligned with said working faceof said reed when said lay beam is in said weft filling position; saidfeeding means adapted to project the free end of said weft filament intosaid shed, the improvement comprising; a weft bending means aligned withsaid bore to bend a short length of said free end of said weft filamentthrough a substantial angle prior to projection into said shed.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 3, wherein; said angle issubstantially 180 degrees.

5. In a wire fabric loom comprising, in combination: a supportingframework; a lay beam reciprocally supported on said framework andoperable between weft feeding and weft weaving positions; and a weftfeeding means fixedly supported on said framework in alignment with saidlay beam whenever said lay beam is in said weft feeding position, theimprovement comprising; a weft guide means intermediate said feedingmeans and said lay beam, said guide means comprising a first elementmounted on said feeding means and a second element pivotally mounted onsaid framework, each of said first and second elements including aportion of a conical recess, said first and second elements 'so linkedas to coact to provide an encircling conical recess whenever said l-aybeam is in said weft feeding position, and said second element adaptedto be rotated away from said first element whenever said lay beam ismoved toward said weft weaving position.

6. In the method of weaving fabrics wherein warp filaments are fedthrough heddle means to effect a shed therein; every weft filament isprojected into said shed;

and every weft filament is separate from those weft filaments adjacentthereto, the improvement comprising; the step of bending the end ofevery weft filament to be first projected into said shed by an anglegreater than 90 degrees prior to projecting saidweft filament into saidshed,

whereby said projected weft filament is provided with a smooth, blunt,weighted end portion adapted for high velocity projection into saidshed.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein said angle of bending issubstantially 180 degrees.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein said weighted end portion ofsaid weft filament is projected completely through said shed.

9. The method according to claim 6 wherein said weighted end portion ofsaid weft filament is projected completely through said shed.

10. In the method of weaving fabrics wherein warp filaments are fedthrough heddle means to effect a shed therein; every weft filament isprojected into said shed; and said weft filaments have a normal mass perunit length and consist of homogeneous material, the improvement.comprising; the step of forming only one smooth, blunt, weighted endportion on every weft filament projected into said shed, said weightedend portion formed solely from the material of said weft filament,whereby said projected weft filament is provided with a smooth, blunt,weighted end portion adapted for high velocity projection into saidshed.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein said weighted end portionhas a mass per unit length of substantially twice said normal mass perunit length of said weft filament.

12. In the method of weaving fabrics where-in, during each weavingcycle, substantially endless warp filaments are fed through heddle meansto effect a shed therein; the free end of a substantially endless Weftfilament supply is projected into said shed; and thereafter theprojected portion of said weft filament is severed from said supply, theimprovement comprising; subjecting each weft filament to a clampingaction immediately prior to said projection, and bending a short lengthof said free end through an angle greater than degrees during saidclamping action, whereby said weft filament is provided with a smooth,blunt, weighted end portion adapted for high velocity projection intosaid shed.

13. In a fabric loom comprising, in combination: a supporting framework;means for feeding aban'k of warp filaments across said framework; heddlemeans for effecting a shed in said warp filaments; a lay beamreciprocally supported on said framework, said lay beam operable betweenweft filling and weft weaving positions; a reed having a forward workingface supported on said lay beam in fixed relation thereto; asubstantially continuous weft filament supply source mounted on saidframework; and a weft feeding means having a weft bore therein fixedlyvmounted on said framework with said bore aligned with said working faceof said reed when said lay beam is in said weft filling position, saidfeeding means adapted to project the free end of said weft filament intosaid shed, the improvement comprising; a weft bending means aligned withsaid bore adapted to bend a short length of said free end of every weftfilament through a substantial angle prior to projection into said shed,whereby said weft filament is provided with a smooth, blunt, weightedend portion adapted for high velocity projection into said shed.

14. The combination as set forth in claim 13 wherein said angle issubstantially degrees.

15. The combination as set forth in claim 14 wherein both said warp andweft filaments are metallic wires.

16. The combination as set forth in claim 13 wherein both said warp andweft filaments are metallic wires.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,128,664 Sackner et al. Aug. 30, 1938 2,300,718 Williams et al. Nov. 3,1942 2,401,070 Harter May 28, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS 251,353 SwitzerlandSept. 1, 1948

1. IN A WIRE FABRIC LOOM COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A SUPPORTINGFRAMEWORK; MEANS FOR FEEDING A BANK OF WARP WIRES ACROSS SAID FRAMEWORK;HEDDLE MEANS FOR EFFECTING A SHED IN SAID WARP WIRES; A LAY BEAMRECIPROCALLY SUPPORTED ON SAID FRAMEWORK, SAID LAY BEAM OPERBLE BETWEENWEFT FILLING AND WEFT WEAVING POSITIONS; A REED HAVING A FORWARD WORKINGFACE SUPPORTED ON SAID LAY BEAM IN FIXED RELATION THERETO; ASUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS WEFT WIRE SUPPLY SOURCE MOUNTED ON SAIDFRAMEWORK; AND A WEFT FEEDING MEANS HAVING A WEFT BORE THEREIN FIXEDLYMOUNTED ON SAID FRAMEWORK WITH SAID BORE